About me
I inspire business professionals to make their words matter and to avoid potential costly litigation which might harm their company’s reputation and profitability.
It all started decades ago
I grew up in an advertising family. My father wrote jingles and tag lines for his convertible sofa company. Although the sofa beds are no longer around, the slogan – “Live on the Riviera, convertible sofa, that is” – is still remembered by many who lived in Southern California during the 1950’s and 60’s.
My dad also wrote five business textbooks on customer service and sales, and it was his compassion for language that inspired me to major in English at USC and then earn a Masters and PhD in English at Rutgers University. I taught language skills for decades before I dived – head first – into a new company that was to become the world’s leader in home storage.
A lesson learned from holiday dinners: words matter
Holiday dinners at our house? Some families talk about movies, celebrities, politics, or family gossip. We talked closets.
In the late 1970’s, one of my dad’s students came up with a concept for organizing people’s closets, and soon, my siblings and I became franchise owners of California Closets. Within a decade, I gave up a tenure track position at a college and moved full-time into sales and marketing, helping people transform their disorganized closets into miraculously organized spaces with areas for shoes, sweaters, and yes, even computers.
Anytime we had meals together, the central topic focused on new gadgets like the electric carousel or built-in ironing boards. Occasionally, we’d talk about a challenging customer, and my dad would always remind us – “A happy customer tells one friend, but an angry customer tells the herd. Your words are important. Be clear, kind, and empathetic.”
The customer always comes first
Despite my insistence we treat all customers with respect, my staff hated Mrs. Delacroix. Once a month, this elderly client would wander into our showroom and attempt to return an old belt rack or a five-year-old dented shelf. She drove my receptionist crazy.
Well, I had learned that in the realm of things, a belt rack or a dented shelf are very small items to fix or replace. An angry, hostile, frustrated customer, on the other hand, can be a cannon ready to fire.
So when I offered to replace Mrs. Delacroix’s belt rack and shelf with brand new ones, free of charge, Mrs. Delacroix soon asked if we could remodel her garage and create an elaborate office unit. Within weeks this once dreaded client became a favorite of ours because she gave the staff three weeks worth of work and a $31,000 remodeling project.
Taking my act on the road
After many Mrs. Delacroixs, and 20 years in California Closets, I decided to take my act on the road and inspire and share with audiences nation-wide some of the tips, secrets, and strategies for communicating tactfully and responsibly with customers.
Since 1999, I have traveled to literally every major city in America – yes Lubbock, Texas; Boise, Idaho; Kissimmee, Florida; even Bark, Arkansas. Actually, I made up that last city. It just seems like I’ve been there.
Whether it’s an audience of 15 or 3,000, I inspire business professionals to make their words matter. I help staff members condense complicated concepts, minimize communication errors, avoid misinterpretation, and convey a clear vision of what they want.